A former manager at an Arby’s restaurant in Oklahoma has been charged with felony poisoning after police alleged she deliberately contaminated a customer’s food by spitting into it.
The accused, Amanda Hendricks, previously worked at the fast-food outlet in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The case stems from an incident on March 28 involving customer Jennica Church, who later filed a lawsuit claiming she contracted HSV-1, commonly known as oral herpes, after consuming the contaminated meal.
According to court records and a police affidavit, authorities launched an investigation after receiving information from an Arby’s employee who reported that a worker had intentionally spat into a customer’s food.
Investigators obtained surveillance footage from the restaurant and reviewed recordings from the night Church placed her order through the drive-thru.
Church said she had stopped at the restaurant after finishing a bartending shift and initially believed staff members were upset because the order was placed close to closing time.
“It was taking a little bit of time. I thought they were mad at me because it was about to close,” she said.
According to police, the footage allegedly showed Hendricks handling meat for a sandwich before lowering her head toward the food. Investigators claimed saliva could be seen falling onto the sandwich.
Following the review of the footage, police interviewed Hendricks and later sought a warrant charging her with felony poisoning with intent to injure.
The incident has also sparked a civil lawsuit filed by Church and members of her family against Hendricks, Arby’s and affiliated restaurant entities.
Church alleges that she later developed symptoms and was diagnosed with HSV-1 following the incident.
The case has reportedly had a significant emotional impact on her family. Her mother-in-law, Patricia Dollarhite, said relatives who shared the food became fearful they may have been exposed to the virus.
“My son was sitting at my table, eating breakfast, and he wanted a kiss, and he could not get one, so you bet I’m angry,” Dollarhite told local media.
She added that the situation has affected multiple members of the family.
No additional infections among family members have been publicly reported.
The criminal case remains ongoing, while the civil lawsuit will seek to determine liability and damages related to the alleged contamination and subsequent health claims.
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